Plates Serve Up Fashion

If you have been following my posts I mention re-purposing or combining various pieces of patterns or textiles to get the finished result I am looking for. I was browsing for ideas for my blog today and I came across someone else's blog and it immediately brought back childhood memories and perhaps the inspiration for my sewing projects.

I don't exactly remember if I got the Fashion Plates toy as a birthday present or Christmas present but nonetheless it was a present I used for a very long time.

I must have been around 10 when these plates came out on the market but I do remember "playing" with them through my high school years. If you are not familiar with this toy; it comes with several different sized plates of different pieces of one outfit, a set of colored pencils and a frame and onion paper.

After you choose your plates to make your outfit you lay them in the frame, cover with the paper secure the top frame over the plates and use the pencils to color in the design. I made some of the craziest outfits with this toy. I think it would still be cool to have one of these around.

Fashion plates are not a modern means of clothing design. They were used a lot in the late 1900's and early 20th century as pictures in magazines, catalogs and advertising to depict the current fashion to the public. The pictures were not rudimentary but they did have a generic look. They were also used a lot in book illustrating. From my research, before fashion plate illustrations were available to show off the current trend; the outfits were sewn, completed with the desired colors and trim and offered on dolls called berlines. It is said that this is how Marie Antoinette chose her various gowns.

(example fashion plate illustration c1900)

New Romantics: Never Old To Me

Nothing new is ever new but re-designed; a re-used idea. When you mention mens' double breasted suit coats worn with short wide ties and fedoras; you might recognize it at as The Swing Era or Post War fashion. My generation (makes me sound so old when I say "my generation"!) was the start of The New Romantics.

Remember Adam Ant? Duran Duran? Specifically, Simon Le Bon or A Flock Of Seagulls? (A-FOS) as I always called them. These guys are perfect examples of The New Romantic look. I still have a huge crush on Simon!

He even sings about New Romantics in this song!

I think one of the reasons I am such an Anglophile is the influence of the fashion, music, traditions and such. I mean, in the 60s, American girls wanted to copy the Carnaby Street look. In the 70s, American kids ripped their t shirts and put safety pins on their clothes like the London punks and the 80s brought the New Romantic fashion from across the pond via music videos. I was immediately attracted to these "dandy" boys with make-up and swashbuckling shirts. I, myself, remember wearing ruffled, high collared blouses with puffy sleeves and military styled buttons in a "7" pattern. Long silk scarves, a carry over from the glam era, and pirate or pixie style boots were also worn by me and my peers.

Another popular figure in the 80s wearing New Romantic look was Princess Di.

The original New Romantics were writers and musicians of the 19th Century AKA Neo-romantisicim. Some names of this movement you might have heard of: Louis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling and Yeats.

Normally I don't follow trends - even though I am aware of some of the current aspects. I have seen elements of my youth resurfacing in stores. I walked into Target the other day and I needed to keep my sunglasses on because the young girls' department is closest to the entrance and it was filled with bright neon colored tops, skirts, sweaters and hats! This was not a favorite look of mine in the 80s and most definitely does not qualify as new romantic style.

Patterns of Design

Patterns of Design...It just has a sophisticated ring to it. So...engineering-esc.

So much for my sophisticated style of writing, making up words. But, I am not here to blog about writing or engineering. I would like to talk about patterns and pattern making.

I did some looking up stuff (googling) as they call it nowadays...and found out that American pattern making was completely different than that of European sewing. There was no marketplace for homemakers for clothing; with the extremely rich the exception; so a way in which the homemaker could expand their wardrobe was necessary. In 1860, Mr. and Mrs. William Jennings Demorest made fashion patterns for home seamstresses. They sold a magazine, what I would call a catalog, with 100s of different patterns. The patterns were rudimentary for the most part; mostly made in only one size and did not come with instructions.

When I was a kid I used to love to go to the fabric store with my mom. She did a lot of home sewing and most of my outfits were homemade. I loved to sit at desks with the big, ginormus pattern catalogs .Flipping those pages were so fun! Even more fun was opening the big, ginormus pattern file cabinets and searching for my pattern number- sort of like treasure hunting!

I have been altering patterns for awhile now trying to get just the right look- because a pattern for what I want doesn't really exist. I find this really rewarding making my own OOAK piece of clothing. If you read my profile- you will know that I search for vintage patterns and notions. I did a bit of shopping at a local Goodwill tonight and came across a curious pattern.

If you are younger than 30 and know who Mr. Blackwell is than I salute your fashion history knowledge. For those of you who DON'T know who he is; he is most known for being a fashion critic and at the end of every year he would create his "worst dressed list". In the '50s he had his own boutique "House of Blackwell", his own designer clothing line and pattern designs AND he dressed the stars! Yvonne Di Carlo (Lily Munster), Jayne Mansfield and Nancy Reagan just to name a few. So, I thought this was a great find for 69 cents and uncut! A cool piece of fashion history.

Fascinating!

If you say the word fascinator in casual conversation I think "royal wedding" will be first thing someone will connect it to.

The royal wedding of William and Kate is not the first time fascinators have been seen in public. I think it takes an event like this to take notice of something. Women have been wearing fascinators in previous eras only called a hat. Typically they are a headpiece with netting, chiffon or feathers on a base.

I love how fascinators have become a huge fashion piece for Steampunk attire. Now, before you go off and say you can just add gears or clock pieces to any hat and make it Steampunk; WRONG- (in my opinion). The best Steampunk fascinators I have seen don't always have a clock hand or cog. There are lots of great Etsy artisans who hock their wares - some even do custom orders.

                              http://www.etsy.com/listing/60400158/striped-gothic-steampunk-top-hat-last

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80157268/green-goddess-steampunk-fascinator-fun?ref=sr_list_13&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=steampunk+fascinator&ga_view_type=list&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84611976/tarnished-rose-fascinator-with-black

Plaid Is My Favorite Color

If my daughter ever reads this blog, I hope that she understands that a little teasing is not meant to hurt her feelings but to show her diverseness. (I even make up words too!)

Jennifer said, "Plaid is my favorite color!" We giggled, but knew this to be true. She wears a lot of plaid and I think she does consider it to be a color.

I didn't think that there were other plaid patterns besides red tartan and even then, I believe I am wrong in that description. When I looked up the definition of plaid is says there are several types of plaid; madras, tartan and glen and then those types have subcatagories too.

I am watching "The King's Speech" for like the 1000th time, because I cannot resist a Colin Firth film!

In the film Colin (King George XI) is seen wearing a kilt in the Windsor family plaid, its called Balmoral plaid. Colin looks SO much better in one than Prince Charles EVER would.

The plaid design was first introduced by Queen Victoria's court and first worn by her husband Prince Albert. Today, the royal family still wear the design. Royal designs date back to medieval times and each design is unique and you can tell the name of different families.There is a world registry to find colors, styles and names.

         http://www.tartans.scotland.net/world_register.cfm.htm

Athletic Supporters

I am not a sports fan at ALL. I went to an event here and there but never got into being a "fan" and NEVER a fanatic. I can also say that I would never intentionally buy any sports team apparel. If you go to any major sporting event you can easily point out who is rooting for who in the seats by what they are wearing.

Over the past 10 years (at least) sports teams have been trying to get more female fans by creating more figure friendly clothing; tank tops with glittering rhinestones, baby doll tees and yoga pants with team logos.

Despite these progressive fashion thinkers in the sports industry you cannot get me to wear a team's piece of clothing.

Tonight, the New Orleans Saints won the playoff game against the Detroit Lions. The Saints bring lots of joy to a city still suffering from disasters over the years. I know plenty of people in the city who may not watch a game or be able to follow along but nonetheless are Who Dats and don't need to be dressed head to toe in black and gold attire to show their support.

I have found lots of artisans on Etsy making wonderful pieces of black and gold to show love and support of the New Orleans Saints. Here are a few examples:

Here is a treasury of black and gold items I put together

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAyMTM5MjF8MTczODE3NzIxMA/aint-no-aints-no-more?index=1

Seeing Through Rose Colored Glasses

I have had to wear glasses ever since I was 2 years old. I didn't like wearing glasses in grade school and the selection was slim and unattractive in the 70s. When I was in high school, in the 80s everyone had cool sunglasses, mostly Ray Bans, remember Corey Hart???

During my high school days, my love of vintage and eccentric dress flourished. There were a few vintage shops that I shopped at regularly and a couple shopkeepers I knew on a first name basis. During one of my shopping trips, at one particular store, the owner said she had something for me. It was a vintage, framed advertisement for Tura eyeglasses. I couldn't believe it! Not only did she think enough of me to offer me such a cute gift but it had my name on it!

After that, I began looking at wearing glasses in a whole new way. I went to my optometrist and inquired about these glasses and the company. They said they COULD do special orders from the company and two weeks later I had a selection to choose from for a new pair of glasses.

The 80s were reliving the 50s, so by a stroke of luck, I was able to find the cutest pair of modern cateye frames! From that day on I didn't mind wearing glasses. I owned it! Today, I have several pair of glasses including prescription sunglasses. Glasses have become my favorite fashion accessory.

  

 Tura Company